Employers in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire are being urged to provide strong work experience to pupils, so that young people will be inspired to attend school and gain qualifications.

The plea to the business community was made at the Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Employability and Skills Conference which was organised by Placing Futures Ltd, D2N2 Enterprise Advisor Network, Chesterfield Borough Council, D2 Skills and Employment Board and Destination Chesterfield.

At the conference, which aims to strengthen links between education providers and local businesses, it was revealed that work experience is a ‘postcode lottery’ with less than 50% of schools in the UK providing the opportunity to pupils.

Speaking at the event, Tracey Burnside from Whittington Green School, said: “Schools are under pressure from Ofsted for all pupils to achieve academically. This isn’t right for some pupils who are disengaged with education, however if schools provide them with an alternative non academic route through long term work experience in order to give them employability skills, then the school could be seen to be failing by Ofsted. This presents schools with a real dilemma which needs to be addressed by Ofsted and the curriculum.”

The conference also highlighted the importance of work experience to develop the life skills, confidence and employability of young people with learning disabilities. Nationally, only 6% of people with a learning disability are in paid employment, with this figure dropping to 1.7% in Derbyshire.

Clare Talati from Derbyshire Education Business Partnership, explained: “There is a fundamental focus on academic attainment rather than skills by employers, therefore young people with learning disabilities are missing out on the opportunity to meet with them and demonstrate that they can be hard working and loyal employees.”

Ms Talati called on employers to focus on the capability of young people rather than their learning disability. She urged employers to provide opportunities such as work experience, site visits and talks for young people with learning disabilities.

Introducing the conference Councilor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “With £700million of developments underway and HS2 on the horizon there are many fantastic opportunities for young people in the area. Schools and businesses must work together now to ensure our skills system is aligned with the economy and that jobs go to local people. Although HS2 is 17 years away we need to be getting ready for it now.”

Chesterfield Borough Council ensures that local people benefit from training, employment and supply chain opportunities generated through inward investment and developments in the area, through the inclusion of local labour clauses in contracts. William Davis Ltd, which was speaking at the event showed how this has been put into practice at the Dunston Grange Housing Scheme in Newbold where local young people will benefit from work experience placements, careers talks and apprenticeship opportunities,

Rebecca young, HS2 Ltd’s Skills and Employment Strategy Manager who headlined the speaker line up at conference revealed that businesses within the HS2 supply chain would be required to demonstrate their commitment to three key areas when tendering for opportunities – their provision of and commitment to apprenticeships, employment opportunities for people out of work and engagement with schools.

Schools that wish to work more closely with local businesses, are urged to get in touch with vocational learning consultancy Placing Futures which actively links training providers to schools in Chesterfield and the wider area and forms links with employers to develop relationships that communicate the current requirement of industry for recruiting school leavers into their sectors.

Placing Futures is a partner of D2N2’s Employability Framework which is being delivered (with £300,000 in support) through the Government-backed Careers & Enterprise Company Enterprise Adviser Network, and D2N2. The Framework seeks to address the mismatch between the employability skills that young people are leaving school with or picking up through post-16 training programmes, against those needed by employers.

To learn more about the stronger links that are being built between schools and employers in the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership area, visit www.d2n2lep.org/skills/d2n2-enterprise-adviser-network